Sand, plants and taxes

Another busy weekend has been and gone, this time spent in Belgium.  Whilst the UK was battening down the hatches, stacking sandbags outside front doors and using up emergency stocks of food, we were basking in 23 degrees of sunshine, warm winds and taking in the sights.  We spent a few hours on the beach but despite being lathered in sun cream, still managed to burn and emerged from the sun loungers looking rather like radishes.  Half the problem was the wind.............much of the sand swirling around stuck to the sun cream and, to be honest, every time I touched my arms or legs I believed I was morphing into an emery board.  Talk about exfoliation.........who needs to visit expensive spas or salons?  Head on over to Blankenberge for a couple of hours, job done and a nice little trip into the bargain.

Further to the Olympic Torch appearance from the week in Northumberland, I have been reliably informed by my parents who are currently holidaying in the same area that the photo taken by a local reporter has appeared in the paper!  Several copies have been purchased and there is a website to order original pictures.  Fame at last!  Please form an orderly queue for signed copies (don’t all rush now).

Once again the England football team bowed out of the Euro competition by losing on penalties to Italy (great National Anthem they have).  Was anyone really surprised?  No, not really.  Most of the squad looked knackered from 20 minutes into the game so what little chance they had prior to kick off evaporated in their sweat.  Lovely.  We are now being told to rejoice in Wimbledon fortnight................ha ha, here we go again, more opportunity to be let down and embarrassed by our overpaid and overhyped entrants.  Roll on the Olympics.............at least we stand some chance of winning a few medals.

I have been watering my parents’ garden whilst they are on their jollies and all the fruit, veg and flowers are thriving.  The same cannot be said for the veg growing in my garden.  Despite my tomatoes being planted out at the same time as Dad’s, his are four foot tall but mine are about six inches.  No idea why, they all get watered and are sitting in the sun (when it appears), however despite my four plants being the runts of the seedling box they have flowers on so apparently I will be getting some tomatoes later on.  My runner beans are way behind Dad’s too..........I suspect sabotage by the vegetable devil and will have to lie in wait one night to see what happens.  Fortunately my fruit bushes are doing well so perhaps I should order some punnets in case of a surplus so I can set up a stall in the front garden?

Whilst in Belgium I clocked the price of diesel and petrol.  Now then, over here in rip off Britain we are paying around 5p per litre more for diesel than petrol and we just accept it.  In Belgium however, diesel was €1.37  per litre whereas petrol was €1.52 per litre.  There are many more diesel than petrol cars in use both here and in mainland Europe and we are constantly told that diesel is more economical etc......... I changed from petrol to diesel 18 months ago and am still filling up just as often and giving the government more of my hard earned money in fuel duty.  I have not seen any mileage benefit with the diesel so we appear to have been fed another pile of hocus pocus from the powers that be.

Adding to the theme of injustice, have you ever thought about how many times the same money in your wallet is taxed?  Take for example this crisp £50 note here in my dainty (if slightly sunburned) hand.  I have earned this and paid tax on it.  Now then, I am going to put this £50 into the building society to save some money towards another holiday...........when I get my end of year statement from the building society I will see that I have been taxed on this £50 again.  At the end of the year I decide not to take a holiday (unlikely I know) and instead choose to withdraw my £50 to put diesel in my car..........and hey ho, this £50 is now being used to pay tax on the fuel I want to buy.  So then, we are all paying tax on anything and everything, the government folk are rubbing their hands in glee (before taking their several weeks holiday over the summer period) and what do we, the general public do about it?  Nothing.  We are unable to break this cycle and each week more nonsense spouts forth from the mouths of those leading (allegedly) our country.

Apparently VAT in Belgium is 7% - does anyone want to buy a four bedroomed house with great views out of the front windows and a few sad looking vegetable plants out the back?  Comes with large bird dollop on the lounge window (top to bottom) as window cleaner gave up his round some time ago and the feathery winged ones are having a modern art competition in a Banksy sort of style.  I could put up with the emery board skin for a cheaper lifestyle.